Chapter 6: Hot Shot

When they arrived at Johnny's house. He parked, they got out, and just like that her nerves returned. Walking hand-in-hand, she stopped. Turning his head to look at her, Johnny asked "What's wrong?"

She let out a huge breath. "Well, it's just your Mama. I mean she probably hates me. I dumped you and broke your heart. You're her baby boy, what she must think of me. Plus compared to Ali, I'm... well, I'm not her."

Laura Weinberg is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to her baby. She's the most polished, pristine, and all-around wonderful lady. She's still one of Ava's favorite people, even though she hasn't really spoken much to her, since the breakup.

Johnny paused and debated on saying this or not. In the end, he decided to just say it. "She doesn't hate you. I told her I broke up with you. She thinks it was me and doesn't think badly of you." He saw her face looks shocked.

Moving to stand in front of him, she grabbed hold of both of his arms. "But why Johnny? Why would you tell her that?"

How does he answer this? "Because even though it hurt, I didn't want to hurt you. My mom liked you a lot. She still does. And I guess I hoped, that if we ever got back together one day, I wanted her to think of you as the wonderful person you are."

Wow! That's... "I don't know what to say. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Johnny you when I first met you I didn't realize how much you'd mean to me. But here we are. You're the best thing I never planned and I'm so thankful for that." She hugged him then.

He may or may not have gotten misty-eyed, but he'll never tell a soul. "OK let's go in so I can change and beat you at your own game."

Huffing, she stated "Fat chance. My drive is better than your whole set of golf clubs any day of the week. Hands down. I mean, I did win the lady's Teen's on the Green's tournament last year. Just saying."

They entered his house and instantly his mother came out to greet him. Surprised to see Ava, but not shocked, she greeted her too. She also took note of their clasped hands. "Johnny you didn't tell me you were dating Ava again. Shame on you." She pulled his lady friend in for a hug.

"Mom, meet Ava. My new, old girlfriend." He saw eyes raise at that choice of words. "Well, I'm going to go change. Mom is my golf clubs still in the garage?" He started up the stairs for his room, when he heard his mother answer yes.

Once he had gone, Laura pulled Ava into the living room. They sat on the sofa. "I have to say I've missed you these past two years. I knew something was different about Johnny this week when he started smiling more. He only ever really smiled when he was dating you. I'm so glad the two of you found your way back to each other. Two people who love like you do deserve someone who loves the same, with their whole heart."

Ava is floored. She had no idea her boyfriend's mother felt this way. It only serves to make her feel guilty, knowing she has no idea that she was the one who dumped her son. She was about to open her mouth when Johnny returned looking... well looking ridiculous. He wore a pair of baby blue and white plaid golf pants, with a white polo tucked in, and a blue belt around his waist.

"I didn't know it was Halloween or I would have worn my costume too," she told him. She couldn't resist.

Rocking on his heels, "It's OK Shortcake, like one hundred proof you can't handle this. I'm going to go grab my clubs. You both have my permission to talk about my wonderful self while I'm away." He exited to get the clubs.

That was when Ava noticed his white golf gloves in the back of his pants pocket. She started laughing. His mother did the same. Turning to Laura she inquired, "Does he really know how to play and where did he get that awful outfit?"

Smiling widely, his mom patted Ava's leg. "You'll just have to find out if he can play or not. I don't really know, except Bobby's father tried to teach them one time. As for the outfit, it's truly hideous. Trust me. I did not buy it." They both laughed again.

Johnny returned carrying his bag of clubs. She rolled her eyes. Of course, he'd use Cobra clubs. While he may use Cobra, she prefers TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite. Best set of clubs she's ever owned. "Alright, let's get this golf show on the road," he announced starting to move to the door.

Before she left, she hugged Laura goodbye. His mother whispered in her ear "Thank you for making him smile again." Then she loudly said "Don't be a stranger. I'd love for us to catch up. There's so much I'd like to share with you." His mother hugged her tight.

When she was released, she followed her goofy guy out. They were comfortably silent to the car, where he flirted with her. "Admit it. You love the outfit. It's hot right? Shows off one of my best features." He wiggled his butt.

Giggling, which she hates silly girls who giggle, she admitted "Your outfit is hilarious. I can't look at you with a straight face. But you do look good in it. You're a badass with a good ass." She smacked his butt with her hand.

Opening the car door for her, he smirked. "Shortcake I knew you loved it." He closed the door once she got in. He missed her soft voice say "I do."

As soon as he sat down in the car, she mentioned "Must you use that terrible name?" Shortcake is what he called her when they dated before. She always thought it was silly and ridiculous like his pants.

"Of course I must. You're Shortcake and I'm—"

Not being able to help herself, she interrupted him saying "My little Snuggle Muffin."

Glancing at her, he proclaimed "Never say that in public." He started the car and they drove away to the country club golf course. It's tops in the valley. On the way, they sang along to The Reflex by Duran Duran. Johnny is such a closet light rock guy.

At the country club, he jumped at the chance to drive the cart. Knowing he's no match for Ava, he at least tried to give a good show. A good show is what he gave alright. It's clear he hasn't played in a while. On the first hole alone, when he went to drive the ball onto the fairway, he swung and missed. She hid her head in her hands. Luckily he got it on the third try. Yikes!

She bragged, trying to puff him up. "Good shot Honey! I knew you could do it." He narrowed his eyes at her overly patronizing tone. Even he knew what a loser shot it was. Then for all of her encouragement, she crushed the golf ball on the first try like the pro she is.

Every hole seemed to be worse than the one before. Johnny's attitude followed suit. The more frustrated he grew, the more he remained silent and sulky. Finally, on the ninth hole, Ava could stand it no longer. All he had to do was line up his putt. Her keen eye could see if he took the shot the way he planned to the ball would pass the hole completely.

"Wait!" she broke the silence with her loud yell. Scurrying to him, she stilled his putt. "Don't putt yet." She saw the annoyance in his eye. Taking the putter from his hands she showed him how to hold it. "Grip it like this. Gentle yet firm, like how you would hold—-"

"You. How I would hold you." It begged to be said. Both their hearts fluttered and pulses raced. Their eyes caught each other and spoke volumes.

Nodding, she continued to help him. No matter what she did he was still going to miss the shot. His attitude would only get worse. Coming round behind him she wrapped her arms around his torso and gripped the putter with him. Being this close, she could smell his savory cool scent. He always smells good. If she wasn't intent on helping him sink this putt, she'd die being in this position.

Both of them felt on fire like a slow steady match has been set beneath their center, deep in the pit of their stomachs. They swung together and he sunk the ball in the hole. With the adrenaline flooding their veins like a drug, they felt alive and desiring of each other. Turning around in her arms, he held her then. His eyes are the ember and her hugs are the flame.

Bringing his hand up, he caressed her jaw and cheek. The spark smoldered between them. Mouth inching closer, he leaned in and kissed her ear. She couldn't help but feel dismayed. He kissed her neck, then released her. As she lined up her own putt, he came behind her and gave her an embrace. He caressed her arms, then blew on the spot he kissed earlier. It made her feel things, sultry things. She missed the putt!

Never has she ever missed a putt. Well, a putt that easy. She rounded on him. "You did that on purpose didn't you? You wanted me to miss my putt."

He wore a self-approving grin on his handsome face. He pushed his shoulders back, which complemented his strong posture, and gave her neither a denial nor an admission. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, you'll never know."

Pointing her finger at him, and fixing him with her eyes, she stated "I'm watching you, Lawrence." They got into the cart and drove them to the next hole.

Their afternoon continued in much the same way. Johnny missing shots, him trying to make her miss shots (but it didn't work), or her taking shots for him. On the back nine, several times Johnny hit the ball into a sand trap.

This would annoy most people, and pro golfers alike. It did frustrate Johnny, really frustrated him. So much so that one time he hit the golf club on the ground repeatedly. To which Ava remarked, "What did the club ever do to you? Poor golf club." He would narrow his eyes at her.

But anytime Johnny hit it in the sand trap this allowed Ava to practice her bunker shot. He would let her hit for him. She loved it! One can never be too prepared when playing to win. And she intends on winning, a lot, during the fall golf season.

Watching Ava play golf is like watching a master play chess. Johnny discovered she has a strategy for everything. It reminds him of himself with karate. Both of them are good at what they do. And despite being zero competition for her on the greens, he's loving spending this time together. It's enjoyable. Just the two of them spending the afternoon holding hands, sharing laughs, and having fun.

He can't remember if he ever truly felt this peaceful when hanging out with Ali. Which is really weird considering they dated for two years. But peace is hard to come by, at least for him. When he finds it he knows to hold on to it. Ava's his peace and he's her protection.

At the end of the round, Ava had beaten him so badly it wasn't worth repeating the score. Even still Johnny insisted "I let you win. Next time I'm not holding back."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Please don't. And next time could you also wear another pair of those crazy pants?" She continued to laugh.

He pulled her into a gentle headlock. When she was firmly by his side, he released her. "See, I knew you loved my pants. Don't worry I have plenty more where these came from. Maybe next time I'll wow you with my purple plaid ones." She gave him a look that says are you kidding. So, he explained "You think I'm joking but I'm not. I have a purple pair, red plaid pair, green, yellow..."

Oh wow. Only Johnny Lawrence could own plaid golf pants and make them look sexy. She laughed some more, as they held hands back to his sports car.

It seemed as soon as Johnny dropped her off at home, the weekend was on fast forward. In the blink of any eye, Monday rolled around. Groaning when the alarm went off. She jumped out of bed and began readying herself for the day. Pulling on a red stiletto printed tee, and a pair of black skinnies, with a neon yellow belt, she admired the outfit in the mirror. A pair of red stilettos would go nicely with the shirt. Her brown hair became fluffed up with a little curl on the sides.

Ignoring her brother's rude comments, she took her lunch and four banana muffins. In her car, she listened to the radio. Scandal's The Warrior happened to be on. She sang along to it and pulled out of the driveway.

As the guys stood around their bikes talking about the weekend, Johnny's eyes kept watching for Ava's car. He had offered to pick her up, but she declined saying "Thanks Hot Shot, but I have golf team practice after school. I'll take you up on the offer another day."

She's taken to calling him Hot Shot ever since their afternoon golfing. At first, he thought she was poking fun, but she told him "I'm calling you that because you look hot taking your golf shots. You were right, those pants do accentuate one of your best features."

"So, you spent all day Saturday with Ava playing golf? She smoked you didn't she?" Tommy wanted to know. He likes knowing things, especially when it's about other people.

With a mocking voice, Johnny responded "Yes, she smoked me."  He elbowed Tommy. "If I had a dollar for every time you said something smart, I'd be broke."

Shaking his head he continued. "But it's fine because I got to spend time with her. Besides if she tried to do karate I'd smoke her. Winning or losing is not the point Asshole. It's the hanging out that matters."

"I hope Sensei doesn't work too hard tonight. Last practice he killed my legs," Jimmy remarked. His legs are still burning.

The guys agreed with him. As they continued to stand around talking, Dutch pulled up on his bike. When he cut off the engine and got down, Bobby asked "What took you so long Man?"

While pulling off his helmet, he spoke. "I woke up with mood poisoning today. I was debating if I should stay home or not. But then I decided school needs my awesome self. I owe it to my fan club to show up."

Jimmy looked confused. "Your fan club?"

Turning to his friend, he gave one of his egotistical looks. "Yes. The people who can't stop talking about me. They're my fan club. Let's see as of today, there's Susan, Barbara, that skinny kid in geometry, the wrestling team..." He kept counting off people.

While his friend spoke, Johnny noticed Ava's Mercedes. Bobby nudged him. He saw her get out, grab her things, and start walking his way. She's carrying something in her hands. They both smiled at each other the closer she got.

He greeted her with a hug. She handed him three banana muffins. "I brought these for you. My mom bought them, from the bakery. So they're edible."

"Thanks. I didn't really have time to grab breakfast, nor did I want to. Sid was still there." He started taking the wrapper off one.

Dutch sidled up to her. "Ava, Ava, Ava. You had the amazing chance to get me. But you missed it, for this loser." He pointed to Johnny.

She couldn't respond for laughing. Tommy then questioned, "Are your friends going to join us?"

Knowing he's "in like" with Kara, she replied "I would think so. Don't worry. You have a shot. Just don't do something stupid." She tried to reassure him.

Laughter could be heard coming from Dutch. "You told him not to do something stupid. That's like asking someone for a grilled cheese sandwich and getting bacon instead. It never happens." He saw Tommy's face seemed annoyed. "I'm sorry Man. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings when I called you stupid. I thought you already knew."

Ava had to turn her face to hide her growing laughter. She pretended to scan the crowd for her friends. But Johnny saw and smirked. Before Tommy could get Dutch back, the bell rang. Jimmy and Tommy had geometry. They both waved as they left. Bobby and Dutch went to Spanish II, while Johnny and Ava moved in the direction of English Literature. Hand-in-hand they both went.

The day was pleasant until PE. That was when a little drama ensued. The students were split into two teams. They will apparently be playing kickball. Luckily, Ava, Rachel, and Joy were on the same team as the Cobras. But Kara and Charley were not.

The coach started the game with his whistle. As the teams were getting into their assigned positions, a rough ball was thrown at Johnny's back. He instantly declared, "What the hell?" Looking around he couldn't see who threw it. "This isn't dodge ball. It's kickball," he yelled. His back stings.

Well, the same thing happened again. This time Johnny is spitting mad, he feels it in his chest twisting like a knife. Turning to Dutch and Bobby, he asked "Who keeps doing that? If it happens again and I find out, I'm going to mess them up real bad."

Before he had a chance to walk to the sidelines, since his team is kicking, the ball came in his direction again. This time Jimmy saw where it came from. He scrunched up his eyes and gave a hostile look. Johnny noticed his friend's expression and demeanor. "You know who did it don't you?"

Jimmy nodded and motioned with his chin. All the guys turned in the direction he motioned to. Johnny's face grew tight. "It's time we taught that Twerp a lesson. One he'll not forget. You mess with snakes you get bit. You mess with Cobras..."

They all five agreed. Daniel better watch his back, cause the snakes are watching his.